CABDA West: Fyxation Rolls to San Diego

We just got back from the first annual CABDA West bike show in Del Mar, CA and we thought we do a quick recap here on our blog. CABDA is a bicycle industry show that is for dealers only and is traditionally held just outside of Chicago.  This is the first year that CABDA put on an event outside of Chicago and they have plans to add more regional events around the country in the coming years.

There has been a big shake up in the bike world of late in terms of bike trade shows and dealer events and CABDA has emerged as THE go to bike show for the bike industry. This was made possible by the recent demise of Interbike as it was announced that Interbike wouldn't be coming back to Reno in 2019. Interbike may make a comeback in the future but what that looks like remains to be seen. For now, the only options for dealers are events put on by the big brands like Trek and Specialized or distributor events like Frostbike hosted by QBP. Most of these are invite only though so CABDA is the only real option that's open for the entire industry and dealers and brands have embraced the small regional format.

We've been going to the CABDA expo in Chicago the last 4 years and it's a great way for us to meet the shops that sell our products, try to drum up new customers and to give us a chance to hang out with other companies in the bike industry.  2019 was the first year that CABDA was held outside of the Midwest and while heading to So Cal in January sounds like a no brainer, the industry was anxiously waiting to see if dealers and vendors alike would show up to this new event.

Well we're pleased to report that the show was a huge success. Even though the weather was rainy it was still great to get out to Del Mar to meet with new dealers and see old friends. CABDA West was a 2 day event that started on Wednesday and when the doors first opened, things were a bit slow. I think that was mostly due to the rain and California traffic, however, as the day went on the show got busier and busier.

Electric bikes were a huge focus of this show as they're one of the high growth areas right now in the bike world. The Southern California market is perfect for e-bikes as you have year round riding, hills where electric assist is a great help and where the market has high disposable income. Even though Fyxation doesn't make an e-bike, we have a blast riding them and think they are great for commuting and for getting more people on bikes. The e-bike market in Europe is huge and while the US market is growing rapidly, we think there's plenty of room for expansion.

The bike market in Southern California is very different than here in the Midwest so it was great to get out there and talk to dealers about what was working for them and to see trends that may eventually work their way over to our region. Some of our competitors on the single speed side, Pure Cycles, Aventon, Retrospec and Throne Cycles were at the show and were really promoting their other bikes and not necessarily their single speeds. Aventon is known for blowing up a market with bikes that are priced way below the competition and they were at the show introducing a $999 electric bike. Not sure if the industry saw that but they better watch out.

Anyway, we had a great time at CABDA West and we plan on coming back for more next year. CABDA in Chicago is about 3 weeks away and we're looking forward to heading down the road to show our latest and great and to meet with our customers and industry buddies. CABDA is a great bike show and their regional format is what I think the future of dealer focused bike shows will look. Jim and his team are ahead of the curve and in our opinion, have really nailed it. Keep it up and see you soon!